The present invention relates to a cucumber plant (Cucumis sativus) which provides fruits having an improved shelf life. Further, the present invention relates to seeds, plant tissue, fruits or plants parts of a cucumber plant (Cucumis sativus). Further aspect of the present invention relates to a method for providing a cucumber plant (Cucumis sativus) which provides fruits with an improved shelf life. According to yet another aspect the present invention relates to nucleic acids and amino acids related to the present improved shelf life trait.
Cucumber plants are already cultivated for at least 3.000 years and several different cultivars have emerged, which are grown and market on the global market. The cucumber fruits are mainly eaten in the unripe green form since the ripe yellow form normally becomes bitter and sour. Accordingly, the cucumber fruits are commonly harvested while still green and are generally used for both the pickling industry and the fresh market, which latter usage has the greatest added value for the farmers. Due to its relatively short shelf life, storage and shipping of fresh cucumber fruits is, however, difficult and expensive. Cooling, which is generally used to extend the shelf life of fresh products, cannot be applied for cucumber fruits as these fruits are not suitable for storage at low temperatures due to chill injury.
It is known to extend the shelf life of cucumber fruits by for example wrapping them in sealing foil or storing them under controlled conditions (>10° C.). However, additional processing steps or specific storage measures thus have to be taken. In addition, in this way the shelf life is extended only in the specific cucumbers that have been wrapped in foil, or have been stored under said specific conditions. Further, although the shelf life is extended by wrapping cucumbers in foil, these wrapped cucumbers turn yellow within a time period of about two weeks.
Given the above, there is a need in the art for cucumber plants providing fruits having an extended shelf life.